Monday, May 15, 2017

Major Japanese electronics maker Hitachi says it has come under a cyber-attack which may be the same one that rocked the world. The chief of Europol, the European Union’s police agency, says a global cyberattack has spread to 200,000 victims in at least 150 countries.

Europol Director Rob Wainwright told British TV outlets on Sunday that the cyberattack is unprecedented in scale.

Wainwright said the “ransomware” blocks access to data until money is paid, and replicates itself in order to spread to other computers automatically.

The virus infects computers by invading through a Microsoft Windows defect.

Wainwright warned companies to take precautionary measures as they may find themselves affected on Monday.

Wainwright suspects the cyberattack was carried out by multiple perpetrators, and that Europol is working closely with the US FBI to solve the case.

Hitachi officials say problems were found on part of their in-house computer system on Monday.

They say employees cannot send or receive emails or open attachments. They say similar problems were also found at their group firms abroad.

The officials say they believe their computer system was infected with the same software that locked up computers around the world. They say they are trying to quickly restore the system.

Japanese police say that by Sunday noon, they had confirmed 2 attacks in the country.

India’s merchandise exports have continued with commendable growth rate by registering a remarkable growth rate of 27.59% in March 2017 to value at USD 29.23 billion as compared to USD 22.91 billion during March 2016. On the other hand, India’s merchandise imports also witnessed an expansion to USD 39.66 billion in March 2017 as compared to USD 27.31 billion during the same period of previous year with a growth rate of 45.25%.

The cumulative value of exports for the period April-March 2016-17 stood at USD 274.64 billion as against USD 262.290 billion registering a positive growth of 4.71% over the same period last year. The Cumulative value of imports for the period April-March 2016-17 was USD 380.367 billion as against USD 381.01 billion registering a growth of (-) 0.17% over the same period last year.

The growth in exports is positive for USA (5.61%), EU (1.68%) and Japan (10.87%) but China has exhibited negative growth of (-6.20%) for January 2016 over the corresponding period of previous year as per latest WTO statistics.

The International Cotton Advisory Committee (ICAC) has projected that India’s cotton exports will grow 3 per cent to 990,000 tonnes in the current year, with production likely to rise by 2 per cent to 5.9 million tonnes. India’s mango exports are likely to surpass last year’s level and touch 50,000 tonne mark in the ongoing fiscal, buoyed by strong demand and supply of export quality fruit, according to government body APEDA. Council for Leather Exports (CLE) has estimated that India’s leather exports will peak to USD 27 billion by 2020, from the present level of USD 5.89 billion, given proper encouragement and support. India’s import of total finished steel fell 36 per cent to 7.4 million tonnes (MT) and exports jumped 102 per cent to 8.2 MT in 2016-17.

India is speeding up the signing of a free trade agreement (FTA) with the Eurasian Economic Union, which include Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, Armenia and Kyrgyzstan. India’s trade with these countries stands at about $10 billion. India stands to gain from the pact with Eurasia, as its imports from these countries are greater than its exports to them. An Online Portal for facilitating trade between India and Iran was launched by Department of Commerce in the presence of Ambassador of Islamic Republic of Iran, Mr. Khaleel Rahim, CMD, STC, and other Directors of STC. The Hind-Iran portal (hindirantrade.org) is a joint initiative of STC and Douman Queshm, Iran.

India has raised a trade dispute against its own compliance measures at the World Trade Organization (WTO) after the US refused to accept the steps adopted by New Delhi for terminating the health-related curbs imposed on American chicken and chicken products due to bird flu. Amid growing resistance to its proposal for trade facilitation in services (TFS) agreement, India will soon seek a meeting of the special session of council for trade in services under the World Trade Organization (WTO) to kickstart formal negotiations at the multilateral forum. Like the trade facilitation agreement (TFA) in goods trade.

Interactive Session on Impact of Illicit Trade on Industry, Economy and Consumers

The existence and operation of illicit trade vis-à-vis counterfeiting and smuggling has been an enduring problem that has escalated in scope and magnitude, impacting industries, government, economies and, the health and safety of the consumers. Moreover, such operations have close links to terror organizations and criminal networks. In fact, it is today one of the biggest challenges faced by India and its industry, impacting the country’s image in the global arena.

FICCI’s Committee Against Smuggling and Counterfeiting Activities Destroying the Economy (CASCADE), over the years, has been actively focusing on curbing the problem of growing illicit trade in smuggled, pass-offs and counterfeit goods. In pursuance of our agenda, FICCI is organizing an interactive session on the ‘Impact of Illicit Trade on Industry, Economy and Consumers’ on 24th May 2017 from 7 pm onwards at ITC Maurya, New Delhi.

This interactive session will comprise a panel discussion which will include panelists from policy makers, economists, enforcement agencies, industry and consumer organization. The intent of this session is to facilitate a wider exchange and ensure a multifaceted perspective to understand the gravity of the menace caused by illicit trade activities.

We wish to cordially invite you to attend this interactive session and take part in the deliberations, and subsequently join us for cocktails and dinner.

Uganda – Uganda is this week (15-17 May) hosting the third Pan African Forum on Migration (PAFoM III), with delegates from the continent and from across the world expected in the capital, Kampala.

This morning (15/05), Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni is expected to open the three-day meeting, being held under the theme: Towards an African Common Position on the Global Compact on Migration.

The PAFoM is an initiative of the African Union, in collaboration with Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and the UN Migration Agency (IOM) as the Technical Secretariat. It brings together about 250 experts and officials from governments, eight RECs, private sector, civil society organizations, UN Agencies and development partners.

The Forum’s overall objective is to contribute to Africa’s inputs to the Global Compact on Migration (GCM), which is set to be adopted in 2018.

Delegates will share information on the current African and global migration situation, and suggest durable and actionable solutions to enduring and emerging challenges. They will put particular focus on migration within Africa and from Africa to other regions – notably to Europe and the Middle East.

At the end of the three days, delegates will produce a Draft Outcome Document towards an African Common Position on Migration; this will include policy recommendations to be considered and possibly adopted by the 28th Ordinary Session of the African Union in January 2018. The AU’s adopted document will constitute Africa’s inputs to the negotiations on the Global Compact on Migration.

In a statement in Kampala last week, Uganda’s Minister of State for Internal Affairs, Mario Obiga Kania, said: “This Forum is co-organized by the African Union, government of Uganda, IGAD and IOM in collaboration with the UNECA with co-sponsorship from ECOWAS, SADC and partners. We request you, the media and the general public to join us to welcome and host these important dignitaries in Uganda, The Pearl of Africa.”

IOM Director William Lacy Swing said: “We are at a critical juncture in history, with more people on the move than we have ever witnessed in 70 years. As the world grapples with this unprecedented migration, it is important that Africa speaks with a strong, well-considered and consistent voice. The Pan African Forum on Migration will be an important milestone in the evolution of Africa’s common position that will feed into the Global Compact.”

Among the side activities at the Forum was a workshop held yesterday (14/05) on the plight of migrants caught up in conflict or natural disasters. The workshop, organized by the Migrants in Countries in Crisis (MICIC) Initiative, focused on how countries and development and humanitarian actors can best respond “to the needs of migrants during a crisis”.

A key issue discussed during the workshop was the importance of governments keeping records of migrants – both their own nationals abroad and foreigners on their territories. With such data, governments would sensitize migrants’ awareness of local hazards, facilitate their access to assistance, and support evacuation and emergency repatriation.

The Forum participants are also being invited to Feel How Gender Shapes Migration, an interactive exhibition by IOM’s Gender Coordination Unit. With Africa’s Agenda 2063 and SDG 5 aiming to achieve full gender-equality, IOM works to mainstream gender in efforts towards achieving safe, humane and orderly migration for all – hence the exhibition.

Based on real-life scenarios of IOM audio and visual imagery, participants are invited to enter different moments of a migrant’s journey. From camp settings, situations of forced displacement, trafficking, and environmental migration, the exhibition invites participants to feel how gender influences a migrant’s path by interacting with objects, questions and problematic dilemmas.

Media reports said many, European countries are refusing to sign a trade statement at China’s Silk Road summit.

The diplomat said on Monday , dealing a setback to Beijing’s efforts to gain full support for its initiative.France, Germany, Estonia, Greece, Portugal and Britain are among the European Union countries spurning the document, the diplomat told media agency on condition of anonymity. The diplomat further enunciated that all the European nations taking part in the summit’s trade panel collectively decided to rebuff the text because they believe it does not sufficiently address European concerns surrounding transparency of public procurement and social and environmental standards.

China presented the document to negotiators last week, telling them it could no longer be reworked, according to the official. China seek to cement its trade relations in Asia, Africa, and Europe through the summit, but some fear that these new Silk Roads serve the interests of Chinese exporters above all.

Twenty nine world leaders are taking part in the global summit on China’s Silk Road plan, a huge infrastructure project which Beijing hopes will revive ancient trade routes from Asia to Europe and Africa.

Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka on Monday rejected a proposal by coalition partner ANO to replace Finance Minister Andrej Babis with his current deputy, extending a crisis in the center-left coalition before an election due in October. Sobotka has requested that Babis, a billionaire businessman and founder of the anti-establishment ANO movement, leave due to questions about his past tax dealings. Babis denies any wrongdoing but has said he would accept his sacking if there is an agreement on his replacement. Sobotka said on Monday Babis’s pick, his current Deputy Minister Alena Schillerova, was too close to Babis. This posed a problem in relation to the need to look into Babis’s taxes, Sobotka said.

European and British policing and security agencies have warned that the fallout from an unprecedented global cyber attack could worsen as people return to work. An international manhunt was under way for the plotters behind the world’s biggest-ever computer ransom assault, which has hit more than 200,000 victims and has affected more than 150 countries.

The indiscriminate attack, which began Friday, struck banks, hospitals and government agencies, exploiting known vulnerabilities in old Microsoft computer operating systems.Europol executive director Rob Wainwright said the situation could worsen today when workers return to theiroffices after the weekend and log on.

Indian Government’s cyber security arm CERT-In has alerted vital institutions including RBI, stock markets and NPCI against the latest cyber attack that has infected thousands of systems globally.

Yesterday, it has issued a list of do’s and dont’s to these agencies and advised installation of relevant “patches” to protect against any data breaches.

A train derailed and crashed into a house in Greece, three people dead and ten injured, Greek police said Sunday.

The train, traveling on the Athens-Thessaloniki route with 70 passengers, derailed at 9:45 p.m. (1945 GMT) Saturday in the village of Adendro, 40 kilometers west of the northern city of Thessaloniki. Its engine rammed into a three-story house, exiting on the other side.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s conservatives scored a major upset in a key state election on Sunday, finishing ahead of the ruling Social Democrats (SPD) and boosting their hopes of retaining power in September’s federal vote, an ARD TV exit poll showed. The Christian Democrats (CDU) saw a strong surge of support in Germany’s most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW), where the SPD has ruled for most of the post-war years. The CDU won 34.5 percent, up from 26.3 percent in 2012, according to an exit poll on public broadcaster ARD just after polls closed. The SPD fell to 30.5 percent from 39.1 percent. It was the third straight state defeat for the SPD since March, casting a shadow over their once bright hopes of denying Merkel a fourth four-year term on Sept. 24.

There is reliable information that the MoEFCC would approve GM mustard for commercial cultivation today.

Those of you who are concerned about these developments are requested to certainly pick up the phone (several times if required, if you can’t get through to them the first time around) and call up the PMO and register your opposition to GM mustard approval in India clearly.

Demand that the application SHOULD BE REJECTED. Please ask them to note down your message and pass on to the PM, Shri Nripendra Mishra (Principal Secretary in PMO) and Dr PK Misra (Additional Secretary in PMO, agriculture person). Please speak politely and if possible, state your reasons for opposition clearly.

The phone numbers to call: Phone +91-11-23012312 (PMO general line – one Mr Sanjeev Kumar Singla and a Mr Rajeev Topno are Private Secretaries to the PM)

I work at Change.org and I’m the mother of a 2-year-old. I wanted to share two campaigns started by a couple of incredible mothers.

Priyanka Gupta is a single mother. Her daughter was forced to use the name of the father who abandoned her when she applied for a passport.

Priyanka started a petition to help her daughter get a passport with just her name on it. Not only did she win, but her campaign ensured that passport rules were simplified to accommodate single parents across India.

Like Priyanka, Subarna is also fighting for mothers’ rights. She was misled into having an unnecessary Caesarean section. She suffered a long and painful recovery because of that surgery.

Subarna wants to make sure that no other mother is manipulated. She started a petition against the commercialisation of Caesarean sections.

Sagar Media Inc, this mother’s day, sign Subarna’s petition and help her make a difference to the lives of millions of expecting mothers.

Priyanka and Subarna could not have fought their battles alone. I want to thank you for supporting these amazing women.

As can be seen from Clippings from PFC reports Revenue Growth in Power sector was just 11.79% in FY15 second lowest in 10 years. Growth in Energy sales was 8.16% which in FY17 was just 4.72% conventional power.

· The aggregate revenue from sale of power for SEBs, State Power Departments and DISCOMs selling power directly to consumers increased from Rs 3,30,199 crore in 2013-14 to Rs 3,69,131 crore in 2014-15 reflecting a y-o-y growth of 11.79%.

· The total energy sold by these utilities was 6,97,765 Mkwh in 2013-14 and 7,54,687 Mkwh in 2014-15 registering a y-o-y growth of 8.16% in 2014-15.

Energy is Critical For India’s Progress But Oil & Gas Blocks were allocated by Vajpayee Government to RIL & GSPC 1999 in 18 years they had failed. Court cases led to CRIPPLING Of Coal Sector. Corrupt PIYUSH GOYAL established Solar Projects in Desert than ROOFTOPS resulting in Rs.11 Cr/MW Loss.

Kapil Mishra has accused Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal of laundering money and having hawala links.He has also alleged that Kejriwal and his close aides are involved in converting black money into white.

Addressing a press conference in New Delhi on Sunday, Mishra presented some documents to support his claims. He also said that the AAP has concealed donation details of three years from Election Commission and has given false bank details to the poll body. He said he will approach CBI with these documents.

The former Delhi Minister also alleged that Mohalla Clinics run by Delhi government is a big scam.

Kapil Mishra said it is clear the revelations suggest that Arvind Kejriwal is corrupt.